What is a Mockingbird?

Mockingbirds are members of the Mimidae family, a group of American passerines that also includes thrashers, tremblers, and New World catbirds. These stentorian songbirds, medium sized with angular proportions and long, twitchy tails, range from the Canadian border down through South America.

The Northern Mockingbird, the most well known representative of this family above the equator, is known scientifically as Mimus polyglottos, which comes from the Greek “mimus” to mimic, and “ployglottos” for many-tongued. The song of the mockingbird is actually a medley of the calls of many other birds. Each imitation is repeated two or three times before another song is initiated. A given bird may have 30, 40 or even 200 songs in its repertoire, including other bird songs, insect and amphibian sounds, and even the occasional mechanical noise.

Northern Mockingbird by Corey

Part of the mockingbird’s advantage over other avians is physical; it uses more of the muscles in its vocal organ, the syrinx, than most other passerines do, many more than non-passerines like raptors or waterfowl. But the mockingbird also has a mind for music. It’s been theorized that this species has more brain matter devoted to song memory than most other birds do. Why does the mockingbird sing? The vocal mimicry trait seems to indicate that lyrical flow is an especially potent aphrodisiac in mockingbird circles, although some lonely males warble and whine the whole night through when unable to find a mate.

“Northern” is a rather ambiguous descriptor for Mimus polyglottos, as it is the only mockingbird to appear regularly anywhere north of Mexico. The Northern Mockingbird, clad in shades of gray with conspicuous white wing patches, enjoys exceptional popularity for such a drab specimen, evident in the fact that it is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

Other Mimus species mockingbirds, 9 in all, closely resemble the Northern Mockingbird, which, in my experience, is more common in the Bahamas than the Bahama Mockingbird (M. gundlachii) and may even appear in the tropics alongside the Tropical Mockingbird (M. gilvus). No wonder it’s so popular!

Birds of the genus Nesomimus are known as the Galapagos mockingbirds. These 4 species endemic to the celebrated archipelago, Galapagos (N. parvulus), Floreana (N. trifasciatus), Espanola (N. macdonaldi), and San Cristobal (N.melanotis), are said to have been extremely influential in shaping Darwin’s theories on the origins of life. Tragically, the critically endangered Floreana mockingbird is extinct on the island for which it is named.

The only Mimodes mockingbird, the Socorro Mockingbird (M. graysoni), endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands, is also endangered.

Species in the genus Melanotis certainly live up to their billing as the blue mockingbirds. The Blue (M. caerulescens) and Blue-and-white (M. hypoleucus), found in Mexico and Central America, both appear exquisitely azure, a dramatic departure from the family’s typical ashen hues.

It’s considered a sin to kill a mockingbird, or at least that’s what we’re told in the book of the same name. Why? As Harper Lee says, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he’s also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.

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anne seibert

October 21, 2012 2:23:57 pm

Year 2000 I found a baby mocker with a wing wound from my dog. Afraid to leave it defenseless & wounded I took her/him in and fed by hand worms and gave water in an eyedropper. Well long story short Tweet said this is working and I began a magical journey of raising her to be released in the wild later. She, I imagined, was such a joy! When she was old enough to flutter to safety I let her stay out in the day. At dusk she would land on my shoulder to be brought in at night. We graduated to crickets pretty fast (I often joked I’d probably come back in my next life as one) and when she began staying out at night in the morn if she thought I wasn’t up early enough she would dive bomb my window and peck the glass. I have so many stories of her I cannot write them all here. She taught me to look up again instead of down at my feet. Whoever coined the phrase “birdbrain” obviously doesn’t know birds. If my Tweet is gone I know her descendants still reign on my property. Last time she came to my call she landed above my head and pooped on me. Just like a teenager.

THIS MALE NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD IS ABOUT ONE YEAR OLD. I’VE WATCHED HIM GROW FROM A FLEDGLING TO NOW ABOUT ONE YEAR LATER. HIS FATHER WAS ALSO AROUND BEFORE THIS ONE CAME ALONG. HE WOULD DRINK WATER I HAD IN A CUP IN A TREE NEXT TO MY PATIO. I WATCHED AS THE FATHER FED THE FLEDGLING AND THE MOTHER TOOK OFF TO FIND ANOTHER PLACE. AS THE BABY GOT OLDER AND GREW SO FAST THE FATHER SHOWED HIM ABOUT FLYING, AND WHEN HE WAS ABLE TO FLY THE FATHER SHOWED HIM WHERE THE WATER IN THE TREE WAS. THIS WAS ALL GOING ON IN THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER IN PEORIA ARIZONA. THE FATHER HAS MOVED ON AND WHEN THE BABY GOT HIS VOICE HE SANG & SANG. IT’S BEEN A FEW MONTHS NOW AND HAS NOT HAD ANY LUCK FINDING ROMANCE. HE IS UP ON A LIGHT POLE OR HIGH TREE CLOSE BY AND SINGS FOR A SHORT PERIOD A FEW TIMES DURING THE DAY BUT OTHERWISE HE SITS THERE ALL BY HIMSELF AND HE IS HUNCHED OVER AND LOOKS VERY DEJECTED. I FEEL VERY SORRY FOR HIM AND IF THERE IS SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE A IDEA WHEN THIS PERIOD FOR HIM WILL COME TO AN END??? I REALLY DON’T WANT HIM TO LEAVE.
CAN ANYONE HELP????

He will not leave that territory if he owns it. Finding a new place for us is a pain for them it is a potential death sentence. Nothing you can do to get him a mate. Sooner or later a female will select him and you will be back to listening to screaming youngins in no time.

If you found a baby mocker, they need to be fed several times per hour, just like their parents would feed them. If you cannot commit to this then you need to take the baby to a rehab facility. And don’t give them bread or milk. This clogs their digestive system.

pat

December 10, 2013 4:12:53 pm

I’m so sad. We moved from TX to SC a year ago and had the most wonderful mockingbird at our home. She/he would wake us by our window, sing all day, sing back to me and brought such joy. Today, I found our beautiful friend on the back driveway. There was a puddle of blood around her head. No sign of anything. But she was gone. I cried like a child. Such a small thing to so many, I fear, but what happiness her beautiful songs were. We will say good bye to her with heavy hearts. I only hope the breezes through the pines will bring another to us and we will be blesseds with the voice of the Mockingbird!

same mockingbird with a flea problem or mites. he is constantly picking at himself and now i worry about his health because of this.
since he is a wild bird i cannot use flea sprays. there are a few but for caged birds.
please if you know of a way to rid my wonderful companion for the past 7 years of the fleas please, please let me know.

I’ve studied mockers quite a bit and from what I know, they keep singing until they eventually find a mate. It doesn’t mean they’ll leave the area, either. They are extremely territorial. In fact, it’s usually the babies that grow up and leave while the parents stay. I have the same ones around my yard each year.

I had a pair for several years. After their last crop of baby birds (4) had grown up, two of the babies have become the regulars and the parents disappeared. I do not know if something bad happened to them, or whether the young ones ousted them and took over the territory which includes my patio where I keep peanut butter out for them.

This film has been shot in Harike Wetland, the largest wetland in Northern India. It serves as a winter home to many species of migratory birds, a few of which are globally endangered species.
Because of it’s rich biodiversity, Harike is a designated Ramsar site. One of the rare locations on Earth that are recognized as nature’s treasures.

Thought you might like it. Do help us share it with other bird lovers.

Live in Palm Springs area. Last year we noticed a lack of singing mockingbirds in our area…then this spring, still no singing. Then, one morning , the singing began. A friend told me that the singing was a result of the male serenading the female while she sits the eggs.
I don’t see anything about the reproduction habits of this bird.

Hey Mike just to give a little pre publication info. As an end point in my experiments the vets forced my to euthanize my adult birds I have raised from hatchlings. From this I was able to analyse the brain nuclei. I can tell you although they have a slightly larger HVC,NCM,and Cm tissue in their song system , the percentage of brain tissue dedicated to the song system over all is not larger in NOMOs than in other related song birds like the Thrasher, Starling, and Catbird.

Just read that in your description and anted to give a friendly science heads up.

We found 2 baby birds obviously that fell out of their nest when
the wind picked up and the rain came. I was getting ready to
go to a funeral visitation. We put them in a box so they would
be confined. After returning, they were still in the box and no
parent birds in sight. A neighbor rescues birds so I took them
there. They were excited and welcomed the babies. Now I
won’t feel guilty abandoning them. The neighbor said they were
mockingbirds. In November we rescued 8 Great Pyrenees pups and cared for them for 7 weeks, then turned them over to the Pyrenees Association in Houston. It was a great experience and I’ll always remember them. Tomorrow I’ll be at a funeral and I couldn’t properly take care of the birds but found a neighbor who would. These are God’s creations and I’m happy to take care of nature. Bill Hoyt: would putting paper bags around the tomatoes help?

Just wanted to post…. The baby mocking bird I rescued just turned 1 year old. And before anyone say’s I should have turned him loose.. He can’t fly one wing is malformed. most likely why the mother left it to die….anyway Opie is pimping a 150 dollar cage all the food he can eat and tons of love….Oh yea he can’t fly but he can run like the roadrunner..

Baby bird is doing great, four days into digging worms for feeding every hour from 6am to 8pm , Called a rehab center for feeding and care info. I look forward to releasing it back to the yard. Does anyone know how to tell the male from the female? This bird has taken my heart, such a pleasure from God.

I raised a mocker from 4 days old to 13 months. No way to really tell what sex they are outside of their behavior. I knew mine was a male by how he acted and how he sang. Females don’t sing as much. This was one of the most joyous years of my life and I’d do it again in a second even with the constant feedings until he could eat for himself with the mealworms I provided. I will always cherish this experience and the knowledge I gained just by observing this intelligent, wonderful creature.

Enjoying the few mockingbirds around my home in Moorpark, Calif. I hear a male singing all night sometimes..adorable to find out he’s calling for a mate. Such a pleasure listening to them…sad that folks would be irritated and possibly do something to remove them. Bizarre how “out of tune” to nature some folks are. Anyway, I love them and happy so many others do too!

A mocking bird had her nest in the roses on the fence at the back of the yard sloping up from the house. Our Siamese cat hopped out of an open window close to the floor and start sneaking up the to the rose bushes. I looked out the window and saw the mocking bird come darting at her. The cat turned and started back toward the house. The mocking bird landed about two feet behind the cat with her wings spread out and walked behind the cat as the cat hurried to the window and jumped back into the house. The bird walked around for a while on the patio waiting for the cat to return but the cat just observed her from inside the window. It was so funny to see a little bird walking behind a big Siamese cat and make her return to the house.

I am forming a non-profit for a bird conservancy to help restrict free roaming cats. We will be coming to north Carolina in the next few years to help the state and her cities adopt bird friendly policies. we will making grants to rehab folks. Good to see you doing the Lords work. peace-rk

Would very much like to (NEED to, really) gain the titles of those paper5work apps and affidavits etc. Not to get me a Mockingbird, though – rather, to know what to look for as I pursue an independent line of inquiry that is only peripherally related.

FWIW: I am looking into the various questions and uses that researchers of avian species etc have put the Northern Mockingbird to, especially over the last fifty years or so.

For sure you dont want to come back as a bird, particularly a wintering species… in the Northeast USA

Our parkland near NYC had in various areas (bushes, shrubs) mockingbirds,, How wonderful to come in deepest winter and find this lovely bird… Just one in each location probably a male defending his territory even in snow and ice.

Unfortunately, hawks began their resurgence HERE in a big way, I believe all our mockingbirds have become food for predator birds. Our wintering birds are gone, the woodland these past years is barren of wildlife.